Lucky Stiff by Deborah Coonts

Lucky O'Toole, the head of Customer Relations at the Babylon Casino and Resort, is enjoying her new found love with Teddy. The addition of another assistant has really helped lessen her workload and give her more time for play. With a big fight in a few days and an entomologist conference about to commence, Lucky knows she will be hard at work with limited time for her lover.

To start her weekend, the truck bringing in millions of bees for the entomologist conference overturns on the Strip and chaos reigns. She hits the pavement running, trying to bring some semblance of order to chaos. To make matters worse, Numbers Neidermeyer, an unsavory odds maker in the gambling industry, winds up dead. Her body was found in a shark tank and the last person to talk to her was Jeremy Whitlock, an investigator, a friend of Lucky's and the lover of Lucky's assistant.

Lucky soon finds herself knee deep in the investigation. She is adamant that Jeremy didn't kill Numbers and sets out to prove it. Meanwhile, Ted has had an offer to visit one of the biggest music moguls in the business. It's always been his dream to be a superstar, and Lucky wants to see him succeed.

When there's an attempt on her life, Ted wants to come home, but she implores him to stay. When she wakes up the next day though and sees a picture of Ted kissing someone else on the front page of the paper, she teeters on the edge. She has a million problems at work and dives into the mess, trying to right wrongs and smooth chaotic situations, as well as work out who really killed Numbers and why.

LUCKY STIFF is a grand adventure brimming with romance, mystery, chaos and humor. Lucky is a superb heroine with grit, determination and the insecurities that make her human. Glamour and glitz set the scene for every imaginable and unimaginable situation that can take place in Vegas. LUCKY STIFF is full of shocking surprises and revelations. I can't wait for the next one, SO DAMN LUCKY, due out in February 2012.